KnappersQuarterly.com is owned and maintained by PAST, INC. In addition to website and its associated publications, PAST, INC. is a contract archaeological consulting firm based in Los Angeles, California, with a satellite office in Boise, Idaho. Overall, PAST, INC. is capable of providing a complete range of archaeological studies from field surveys and inventories to test excavations, data recovery work, and excavation monitoring programs as well as the development of complete cultural resource management (CRM) plans and archival research. More detailed information about our cultural resource management work can be found on www.past-crm.com.

While flintknapping is often associated with experimental archaeology (also referred to sometimes as experiment archaeology or experiential archaeology), PAST, INC. recommends that all knappers work on a tarp or other type of ground surface covering, especially when working outdoors, and dispose of all unwanted chipping waste properly (for example, within a sealed bag placed in a trash receptacle). Another good idea (and standard archaeological practice) is to place a currently dated coin in with the debris. This way, archaeologists in the future can easily be able to determine when the debitage was created so it will not be confused with a more ancient deposit.

While many knapper also maintain an interest in ancient artifacts, PAST, INC. does not condone illicit artifact or relic collecting. If you encounter an ancient artifact, we recommend that any such find(s) be left in place. The location of any artifact or site should be recorded (using a GPS, if possible) and reported to an appropriate archaeological institution or the State Historic Preservation Office. Knowing the context of an archaeological find(s) is just as important as the find(s) itself! It’s a better feeling to know that you contributed to cultural heritage of the nation, than just collecting an artifact (besides, if you are reading this, you can probably knap something better yourself)!

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